5.X Form & Structure in Poetry 

DATE

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Distinguish between form and structure in a literary work.

• Describe the structure and patterns in a poem.

• Define and examine common types of forms including couplets, quatrains, free verse and prose poems.

• Discuss ways that form, structure, line breaks, enjambment, punctuation, patterns and syntax impact meaning and interpretation in a poem.

• Write a poem, experimenting with form and structure.

• Write author’s commentary that includes an explanation of how form influences / contributes to the meaning/impact of the poem.

Agenda Items

• Definitions: form, structure, white space, enjambment, syntax, meter, rhyme scheme, couplet, quatrain, free verse, prose poem 

• Choose mentor text from We Borrowed Gentleness

  • Prose Poems: 

    • "How to Confront the Past" (pg 42) 

    • "Intelligent Design" (pg 44) 

    • "Erosion" (pg 45)

    • "Places with Terrible Wi-Fi" (pg 75)

  • Couplets: 

    • "Meditation on Beauty" (pg 64)

    • "In Praise of Weakness" (pg 77)

  • Short lines & indenting: "The Untranslatable" (pg 54)

  • Long lines & indenting: "Elongations" (pg 52) & "Astrophysics" (pg 56)

  • Short but packed with meaning: "A Miracle" (pg 20) & "Living in the Moment" (pg 37)

  • Right-justified: "Let's Not Get Carried Away" (pg 12)

  • Multi-part / Multiple Forms: "A Force Equal to the Weight of the Fluid Displaced" (pg 68-72)

• Reading reflection: Use the following questions to help you describe the structure of the poem:

  • What is the title of the poem and the poet's name?

  • How does the poem begin?

  • What do you notice about the form and structure of the poem? (Describe line length, line breaks, stanzas, spacing, influences from other types of writing)

  • What literary techniques do you notice in the poem? (Identify and explain examples of imagery, metaphor, simile, personification, juxtaposition, contrast, repetition, etc. )

  • What patterns do you notice in the poem? Are there any patterns in the syntax?

  • What do you notice about punctuation in the poem?

  • Is there a rhythm to the syllables and sounds in the poem?

  • Is there a rhyme scheme? If so, how would you describe it?

  • Is there a shift in the poem? If so, where is it, and what is the change that occurs?

  • How does the poem end?

• Write poem

Assignments

• Practice: Journal Writing - write a poem using _____

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5.1 Word Choice

Tuesday November 28 & Wednesday November 29

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Write for at least 10 minutes in response to a prompt.

• Invent a word or phrase that captures a complex emotion, idea or experience.

• Identify and discuss word choice, connotation, nuance, ambiguity, and parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb) in a poem.  

• Discuss strategies for improving word choice in your writing. 

• Write a poem or paragraph that uses word choice, imagery, and details to convey a mood, tone or idea.

Agenda Items

• Suggest Name for Literary Magazine

• Journal Writing - Invent a Word or Phrase

• Sharing: Invented Words Padlet

• Mentor Texts

  • For the City that Nearly Broke Me by Reginald Dwayne Betts

  • Black Map by Bei Dao

  • Once I loved an opera singer from Spain by Karen Paul Holmes

  • Questions:

    • What do you notice first? 

    • Highlight, underline, or write down words and phrases that stand out to you. 

      • Why do each of these words and phrases stand out? 

      • Identify the part of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction, etc)

    • What was your favorite line? What did you like about it?

    • What words would you use to describe the tone?

    • What literary techniques do you notice?

    • What do you want to try in your own writing?

• Strategies for improving word choice

• Creative Writing

• Sharing & Feedback

Assignments

• Practice: journal writing - invent a word, write a poem

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5.2 Creative Writing Draft & Annotations

Thursday November 30

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Brainstorm ideas for names for our literary magazine.

• Discuss strategies for improving word choice in your writing. 

• Write a poem or paragraph that uses word choice, imagery, and details to convey a mood, tone or idea.

• Share your creative writing with a partner and give positive, specific, and constructive feedback to one another. 

• Use a thesaurus to improve word choice in your writing.

• Label and explain examples of imagery, vivid word choice and figurative language (metaphors, similes and personification) in your writing.

Agenda Items

• Strategies for improving word choice

• Creative Writing

• Author's Commentary

• Sharing & Feedback

• Creative Writing Annotations

Assignments

• 5.2 Creative Writing Draft with Annotations 

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5.3 Unit 4 Progress Check MCQ

Friday December 1

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Analyze an author's use of literary techniques in a short fiction passage or poem.

Agenda Items

• AP Classroom: Poem Practice MCQ

  • 2nd Period

  • 5th Period

• AP Classroom: Unit 4 Progress Check MCQ

  • 2nd Period

  • 5th Period 

Assignments

• 5.4 Unit 4 Progress Check MCQ

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5.4 Poetry Interpretation Essay

Tuesday December 5

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Write a 4-5 paragraph literary interpretation essay that presents a clear thesis and a line of reasoning that includes claims, evidence and commentary.

• Write a 4-5 paragraph essay using appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and transition phrases.

Agenda Items

• Review Poetry Interpretation - Thesis & Line of Reasoning

• AP Classroom Poetry Interpretation Essay

  • 2nd Period

  • 5th Period

Assignments

• 5.5 Poetry Interpretation Essay - Create a new Google Doc inside your Writing Portfolio folder and name it Poetry Interpretation Essay. Write a three-paragraph literary interpretation that responds to the prompt: What idea does the poet explore in this piece?  Analyze how the poet uses literary elements and techniques to explore an idea. In your paragraph, be sure to include a thesis (claim), evidence, commentary, transitions, and appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling and grammar. Turn in your completed assignment on Google Classroom.

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5.5 Essay Scoring

Wednesday December 6

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Use a rubric to discuss and evaluate your own literary interpretation essay to determine the score your essay should receive based on the thesis, line of reasoning (including claim, evidence and commentary), and sophistication.

Agenda Items

• FRQ Scoring Form

Assignments

• Practice: Use the rubric-based form to annotate & score your poetry interpretation essay

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5.6 Literary Magazine: Preparing for Publication

Wednesday December 6

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Revise your poem, short story, or essay to add details and improve word choice.

• Editing: Proofread and correct errors in capitalization, punctuation, grammar and spelling.

• Write a title for your piece.

• Write author’s commentary explaining your inspiration, writing process, and themes and motifs you are exploring in your piece. 

• Submit your writing for publication.

Agenda Items

• Revise & Edit:

  • Details & Word Choice - making your writing more effective

  • Proofread - Capitalization, Punctuation, Grammar & Spelling

• Author's Commentary

• Submit Your Writing for Publication 

Assignments

• Literary Magazine Submission Form

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5.7 Literary Terminology Glossary: Units 1 & 5

Thursday December 7 & Friday December 8

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• List and define the following literary terminology: indirect characterization, perspective, setting, context, exposition, plot, inciting event, conflict, irony, significance, character development, character change, narrator point of view,  narrative pacing, narrative distance, central theme, thesis statement.

• Identify an example of each literary technique in the literary works we have studied.

• Explain how a literary technique influences meaning and interpretation in a literary work.

Agenda Items

• Literary Terminology Review

• Literary Terminology Glossary Template

• Dialectical Journal / Reading Reflection Questions

Assignments

• Homework: 

  • Study vocabulary words for Part 1  Ch 5-8 

  • Read 1984 Part 1, Ch 5-8 and complete dialectical journal assignment, due Tues October 17.

• 4.3 Literary Terminology Glossary - due Friday December 8 by 11:59pm

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5.8 Literary Magazine Production

Tuesday December 12

• Vote on a name for our literary magazine.

• Prepare writing submissions for publication in our class literary magazine.

• Collaborate with your production team to review, typeset, or edit writing submissions or design webpages for the literary magazine.

Agenda Items

• Literary Magazine Production

Assignments

• Literary Magazine Production

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5.9 Unit 5 Progress Check MCQ

Wednesday December 13

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Analyze an author's use of literary techniques in a short fiction passage or poem.

Agenda Items

• AP Classroom: Unit 5 Progress Check MCQ

  • 2nd Period

  • 5th Period 

Assignments

• 5.9 Unit 5 Progress Check MCQ

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5.10 Portfolio Review & Reflection

Thursday December 14 & Friday December 15

• Add items to your portfolio that represent what you have learned and accomplished so far in English class.

• Organize your files by ensuring that the file name reflects the title and/or type of piece.

• Reflect on the writing process and the experience of publishing our writing. 

• Reflect on your learning and experience in English class this semester, noting successes, literary skills and knowledge gained, favorite activities and assignments, challenges, themes, questions, growth, and future opportunities.

• Write using appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and transition phrases.

Agenda Items

• Portfolio Organization

• Portfolio Reflection

Assignments

• 5.10 Portfolio Review & Reflection Essay

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Fall Semester Closeout

Friday December 15

• Reflect on your experience in English class this semester, noting successes and literary skills and knowledge gained, favorite activities and assignments, challenges, themes, questions, growth, and future opportunities.

  • Write using appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, and transition phrases.

• Discuss your fall portfolio and reflection with Ms. Ntoso.

• Return  books that you borrowed from the classroom or school library.

• Sign-up to bring a treat for our end-of-semester class celebration during the final exam.

• Collaborate with your production team to review, typeset, or edit writing submissions or design webpages for the literary magazine.

• Give specific positive constructive feedback on one another’s writing.

Agenda Items

• Individual Portfolio Conferences

• Class Celebration Sign-up

• Book Return

• Literary Magazine Production

• Literary Magazine Feedback

Assignments

• Portfolio Organization & Reflection

• Literary Magazine Feedback

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